Server-based management of robotic pipe inspection data and analysis reports

ABSTRACT

An embodiment provides for storing, in a server, pipe segment data, e.g., pipe scan data derived from a pipe inspection robot that traversed through an interior of the segment of pipe. The pipe scan data may include three-dimensional (3D) and two-dimensional (2D) image data of the interior of the segment of pipe, where the 2D image data includes a flat graph formed from the 3D image data. In one example, infrastructure summary data is stored in the server, including a level of corrosion and a level of sediment buildup determined based on the pipe scan data. An infrastructure project summary report is based on the infrastructure summary data, and after receiving a request from a client device, the pipe segment data and the infrastructure project summary report are transmitted to the client device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/881,084, filed on Oct. 12, 2015, which is a divisional of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/654,388, filed on Oct. 17, 2012, which claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/547,908,filed on Oct. 17, 2011, the contents of each prior application areincorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

A large amount of infrastructure data (e.g. relating to a network ofpipes) exists. For example, this infrastructure data may includeinformation regarding various conditions of the pipes, locations of thepipes within a network, methods of repairing, cleaning, or replacing thepipes, costs associated therewith, maintenance schedules, and the like.

There are many contexts in which a condition of a pipe is of importance.For example, every year, wastewater managers must make decisions aboutwhich portions of their collection system should be maintained,rehabilitated or replaced. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) andAmerican Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) both project hundreds ofbillions of dollars of investment shortfalls facing aging wastewaterinfrastructure. Thus, it is important that wastewater managers are ableto spend their limited funds most wisely to reduce risks and maintainservice levels at a low cost.

In the example context of managing a municipal wastewater collectionsystem, a wastewater manager faced with a limited budget makesprioritization and investment decisions based on the best informationavailable at the time. Unfortunately, although a large amount ofinformation may be available, this information is often difficult toaccess and analyze and thus is often unusable. This is due to lack ofadequate technology for providing accurate representations of thecondition of the pipe sections making up the collection system and theabsence of systems and methods for organizing and analyzing theinfrastructure data.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In summary, one embodiment provides a method, comprising: storing, in aserver, pipe segment data for a segment of pipe in a network, the pipesegment data comprising: pipe scan data comprising one or more of laserpipe scan data and sonar pipe scan data derived from a pipe inspectionrobot that traversed through an interior of the segment of pipe, whereinthe pipe scan data comprises three-dimensional (3D) image data of theinterior of the segment of pipe and two-dimensional (2D) image data ofthe interior of the segment of pipe, and wherein the 2D image datacomprises a flat graph formed from the 3D image data; and infrastructuresummary data comprising one or more of a level of corrosion and a levelof sediment buildup determined based on the pipe scan data; generating,using a processor, an infrastructure project summary report based on theinfrastructure summary data; and after receiving a request from a clientdevice, transmitting one or more of the pipe segment data and theinfrastructure project summary report to the client device.

Another embodiment provides a system, comprising: a mobile pipeinspection robot that traverses through an interior of a segment of pipein a network and obtains pipe scan data comprising one or more of laserpipe scan data and sonar pipe scan data; and a server that stores thepipe segment data including three-dimensional (3D) image data of theinterior of the segment of pipe and two-dimensional (2D) image data ofthe interior of the segment of pipe, wherein the 2D image data comprisesa flat graph formed from the 3D image data; the server storinginfrastructure summary data comprising one or more of a level ofcorrosion and a level of sediment buildup determined based on the pipescan data; the server generating an infrastructure project summaryreport based on the infrastructure summary data, and after receiving arequest form a client device, transmitting one or more of the pipesegment data and the infrastructure project summary report to the clientdevice.

A further embodiment provides a computer program product, comprising: anon-transitory storage device storing processor-executable instructions,comprising: instructions that store pipe segment data for a segment ofpipe in a network, the pipe segment data comprising: pipe scan datacomprising one or more of laser pipe scan data and sonar pipe scan dataderived from a pipe inspection robot that traversed through an interiorof the segment of pipe, wherein the pipe scan data comprisesthree-dimensional (3D) image data of the interior of the segment of pipeand two-dimensional (2D) image data of the interior of the segment ofpipe, and wherein the 2D image data comprises a flat graph formed fromthe 3D image data; and infrastructure summary data comprising one ormore of a level of corrosion and a level of sediment buildup determinedbased on the pipe scan data; instructions that generate aninfrastructure project summary report based on the infrastructuresummary data; and instructions that, after receiving a request from aclient device, transmit one or more of the pipe segment data and theinfrastructure project summary report to the client device.

The foregoing is a summary and thus may contain simplifications,generalizations, and omissions of detail; consequently, those skilled inthe art will appreciate that the summary is illustrative only and is notintended to be in any way limiting.

For a better understanding of the claimed embodiments, reference is madeto the following description and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example platform system for analyzinginfrastructure data.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example method of summarizing pipe network data.

FIG. 2A illustrates an example view according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2B illustrates example 2D graphical representations of conditionsof pipe segments.

FIG. 2C illustrates an example process for forming a flat graph.

FIG. 2D illustrates an example view of a user interface having variousgraphical representations of a pipe segment.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example method of analyzing an infrastructureproject summary.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example method of analyzing a bid on aninfrastructure project.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example method of evaluating a completedinfrastructure job against original expectations.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of method of pooling infrastructureproject summaries for combined bidding.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example computing device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It will be readily understood that the components of the embodiments, asgenerally described and illustrated in the figures herein, may bearranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations inaddition to the described example embodiments. Thus, the following moredetailed description of the example embodiments, as represented in thefigures, is not intended to limit the scope of the claims but is merelyrepresentative of those embodiments.

Reference throughout this specification to “embodiment(s)” (or the like)means that a feature, structure, or characteristic described inconnection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment,which may or may not be claimed. Thus, appearances of the phrases“according to embodiments” or “an embodiment” (or the like) in variousplaces throughout this specification are not necessarily all referringto the same embodiment.

Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics maybe combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In thefollowing description, numerous specific details are provided to give athorough understanding of example embodiments. One skilled in therelevant art will recognize, however, that aspects can be practicedwithout one or more of the specific details, or with other methods,components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures,materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoidobfuscation.

Especially in critical large-diameter trunks and interceptors,visual-only inspection of pipes, such as using CCTV, is often unreliableand leaves decision-makers with the tough task of evaluating which pipesmight appear to be deteriorating. With costly rehab decisions at stake,wastewater managers need facts on infrastructure data, e.g. corrosionseverity, not just visual evidence of potential problems.

Underground infrastructure, as further described herein, involves theneed to access and collect data in a variety of structures. In thisregard, as used herein the terms “fluid conveyance infrastructure” orsimply “infrastructure”, have the meaning of water and/or sewer physicalinfrastructure, including pipes, manholes, laterals, access shafts,junction chambers, valve chambers, and treatment structures.

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/654,376, entitled “GRAPHICALLYREPRESENTING A CONDITION OF INFRASTRUCTURE”, filed Oct. 17, 2012,incorporated by reference herein, describes systems and methods forcollection of infrastructure data, processing the infrastructure dataand related data, and representing a condition of infrastructure.Infrastructure data may be collected for example using a pipe inspectionrobot utilizing an architecture similar to that disclosed in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/611,641, the contents of which are incorporatedby reference herein, or another data acquisition platform, such as theHD PROFILER System available from RedZone Robotics of Pittsburgh, Pa.Commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/654,380, entitled“ANALYZING INFRASTRUCTURE DATA”, filed on Oct. 17, 2012, describessystems and methods for analyzing infrastructure data, and isincorporated by reference herein. In the presence of precise datadescribing infrastructure, e.g. the condition of a pipe, manyopportunities exist for leveraging such data in managing aninfrastructure, such as a wastewater management system.

Embodiments provide systems and methods that allow users to manageinfrastructure assets based on objective, reliable measurements (e.g. ofthe condition of pipe(s)) that are presented in useful, intuitive andeasily understood formats. In terms of data collection, embodiments mayutilize infrastructure data collected using multi-sensor collectiontechniques, for example as described in co-pending and commonly assignedU.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/654,376, entitled “GRAPHICALLYREPRESENTING A CONDITION OF INFRASTRUCTURE”, filed Oct. 17, 2012.Embodiments may also utilize other data sources, such as contextualdata, either separately or in some combination with such sensed data,for example pipe segment location data, service call history data for apipe segment or type, geographic data (e.g. proximity of pipe segmentsto water bodies), data indicating inclination/slope of a pipe segment,pipe cleaning data, pipe repair and replacement data, contractor relateddata, cost data, and the like, as further described herein.

Accordingly, embodiments provide systems and methods for managinginfrastructure data that may be leveraged in making decisions, forexample decisions regarding preparing of infrastructure projectsummaries and bid packages, preparing and evaluating of bids, selectingcontractors/subcontractors to perform maintenance and rehabilitationwork (“infrastructure projects”) on infrastructure assets, assessingappropriate methodologies and technologies for the infrastructureprojects, and assessing the quality of work following completion of aninfrastructure project. Infrastructure assessment results in a largevolume and variety of data sets. Embodiments enable a user to understandand make fact-based decisions that are driven by this abundant and richdata. Thus, embodiments provide an option to optimally deploy limitedresources in operating, monitoring, managing, maintaining andrehabilitating the infrastructure.

A challenge faced by infrastructure managers is managing the bidding ofinfrastructure projects to be performed. The infrastructure projects maybe performed in house or by third parties, or a suitable combination ofthe foregoing. There are several risks associated with such work thatinfrastructure managers should take into consideration.

Certain risks arise from not fully understanding the scope of theinfrastructure project. For example, a risk of cost over-run is createdif a supplier is underbidding the infrastructure project and fails tounderstand the actual extent of the work to be performed. A risk of costover run may similarly be created if a supplier under bids aninfrastructure project to win the bid, and subsequently attempts to makeup the discrepancy with change orders that increase the scope and costof the work.

Similarly, suppliers may over bid an infrastructure project to cover forexecution risks in situations where there is uncertainty in the scope ofthe work and change orders are not permitted. If a supplier does notappreciate the scope of the work, the supplier may be unable to finishthe infrastructure project and the infrastructure project may have to bere-bid.

Additionally, if a supplier's skills, equipment, techniques orexperience are not adequately matched to the actual scope of the work,additional costs may be incurred if an infrastructure project cannot becompleted or is completed poorly as a result. In contrast, certainsuppliers may appear unqualified based on an inaccurate infrastructureproject summary, yet actually be qualified to perform the work that isactually involved in completing the project. A similar result may occurif a supplier is disqualified from an entire project simply because thesupplier is not qualified to complete a minor portion of theinfrastructure project. This results in inappropriately disqualifyingcertain suppliers. In certain circumstances, an inaccurate projectsummary may not be adequately split into component parts and may resultin eliminating certain suppliers form working on sub-portions of theproject for which they are qualified. If an infrastructure projectsummary is inaccurate, it may also lead to no bids being submitted, asthe scope and content of the infrastructure project may be unclear orappear undesirable to suppliers that are actually qualified andavailable to perform the work.

Accordingly, embodiments provide systems and methods for accuratelyunderstanding the scope of the work involved in an infrastructureproject to ensure that the project summaries are appropriately tailoredto the actual work that needs to be completed. With an accurateinfrastructure project summary, updated for example using precise pipesegment data obtained for a network using pipe inspection robots,infrastructure managers are in a position to accurately determine if theinfrastructure project should be completed in-house using resourcesalready available, or whether some or all of the infrastructure projectshould be put out to bid for completion by third parties. Moreover,accurate infrastructure project summaries will allow suppliers to submitappropriate bids, with services, equipment, cost and timing informationmore realistically tailored to the actual scope of the work.

Embodiments provide a system that utilizes analysis tools to addressthese problems and assist infrastructure managers in optimizing theirspending and minimizing their execution risks in completinginfrastructure projects. Embodiments leverage rich data sets acquiredusing advanced sensing to provide bidders with better informationregarding an infrastructure project, thus allowing the bidders to betterunderstand the scope of the infrastructure project under consideration.As a result, embodiments facilitate bids of increased accuracy andquality.

Embodiments provide a platform in which project summaries and bids maybe presented on-line in a web-based collaborative tool or a desktopcollaborative tool that synchronizes periodically through the web, thatdirectly transfers bid specific data/parameters and bid specific reportsfor a wide range of suppliers to bid on.

Measurement data and results gleaned from this data may be used toautomatically or semi-automatically develop a detailed bidspecification/project summary to exacting quality to reduce bid riskpremiums and improve bid results. Likewise, embodiments may be used toevaluate completed jobs using updated pipe segment data, obtained forexample by inspecting a rehabilitated pipe after completion of aproject.

The description now turns to the figures. The illustrated exampleembodiments will be best understood by reference to the figures. Thefollowing description is intended only by way of example and simplyillustrates certain selected example embodiments representative of theclaimed invention. It should be noted that although wastewater pipes arespecifically mentioned as examples herein, the various embodiments maybe employed in connection with other pipe segment types and othercomparable infrastructure assets generally.

Referring to FIG. 1, an embodiment provides a platform 100 that receivesinfrastructure data from a variety of sources. For example, the platform100 receives pipe segment data 101, i.e. data collected with pipeinspection robot(s) at a given time and synchronized with a particularlocation within a pipe segment (either at the time of collection in apost processing procedure). The platform 100 may also receive contextualdata 100 from a variety of sources, such as remotely connected devicesstoring relevant infrastructure information. For example, contextualdata 100 may include pipe segment location data, service call historydata for a pipe segment or type, geographic data indicating proximity ofpipe segments to water bodies, data regarding the inclination of a pipesegment, data regarding previous maintenance of pipe segments andcontractors, techniques and costs associated therewith, etc. Theplatform may also receive cross reference data 103, for examplereference infrastructure information from other cities, municipalities,etc., as well as best practices data, contractor related data, costdata, and the like. The platform may also receive institutionalknowledge data 104, for example text or video notes of an employeefamiliar with a particular infrastructure asset or feature.

Referring to FIG. 2, because inadequate infrastructure project summariesmay cause risks associated with inadequately determining the scope ofthe work involved, an embodiment provides a mechanism to obtain asummary of pipe segments and networks of pipe segments (or portionsthereof), thus facilitating a better understanding of the condition ofthe assets. With such information, asset managers are in a betterposition to prepare project summaries, bid out projects, and selectappropriate suppliers.

An embodiment may access detailed pipe segment data, as well as otherrelevant infrastructure data at 201, for example as stored in a database accessible to platform 100. Platform 100 may select from theexisting infrastructure data pipe segment data for pipe segments ofinterest for a particular project at 202. The selection may be based ondirect user selection of a network or portion thereof, direct userselection of a particular pipe segment, an automated selection based ona given parameter (e.g. pipes having suffered a certain threshold levelof corrosion or sediment buildup, or the like), or a suitablecombination of the foregoing.

Responsive to the selection of a network of pipes or a portion thereof,an embodiment may provide a statistical summary 203. For example, if aparticular segment of pipe is selected by a user, an embodiment mayprovide a summary of the condition of that pipe based on the underlyingpipe segment data. An example statistical summary may include an averagesediment build up statistic for the segment of pipe, an averagecorrosion level of the segment of pipe or the like. Similar statisticalsummaries may be prepared for a plurality of pipe segments, portions ofnetworks, or an entire network. Alternatively, the statistical summarymay be provided for a network or portion thereof selected automaticallyin response to a user input parameter, for example a statistical summaryof all pipes in a network over a certain age threshold in terms ofaverage corrosion, sediment or the like. Thus, an embodiment may assistan asset manager in understanding the overall condition of the networkof a portion thereof in terms of identifying and evaluating appropriateportions for asset management.

Once a statistical summary has been calculated at 203, it may beprepared by an embodiment at 204, for example formatted into a report orgraphic, and then provided to a user at 205. Thus, an embodimentprovides accurate summaries of the condition of pipe segments, portionsof a network of pipes, or an entire pipe network for the user. Suchfact-based summaries of pipe conditions help address risks associatedwith an asset manager not fully appreciating the scope of work involvedin an infrastructure project, as the asset manager will be apprised ofthe actual condition of the pipes prior to preparing an infrastructureproject summary.

An embodiment may combine the various data in various user displays. Forexample, illustrated in FIG. 2A is a view 212 a wherein a CCTV image 214a for a particular segment of pipe is provided. The segment of pipe forwhich data is loaded in this particular view 212 a is provided in a leftpanel, i.e. between two manholes (one of which is indicated at 216 a).The exact portion of the pipe segment being viewed currently isillustrated by an indicator 217 a, which provides easy reference to theuser for understanding exactly which pipe segment portion the CCTV image214 a was obtained from, due to synchronizing the pipe inspectionrobot's data collection activities with a physical location with thepipe segment. The indicator 217 a may be synchronized in several panels,for example in the lower panel (illustrating vertical and horizontalpipe diameters in X-Y graph form in this example). Moreover, thecross-sectional graphic 220 a and 3D graphic 207 a are likewisesynchronized with the portion of the pipe segment indicated by theindicator 217 a.

The sensed data may be processed in a variety of ways to provide usefulpresentation of the data representing the condition of a pipe. Anexample process begins with cross sectional data gathered duringinspections of pipelines using a pipe inspection robot (more than onemay be deployed in a given pipe or network of pipes). According tovarious embodiments, a cross section may be collected approximatelyevery 10 millimeters, although shorter intervals can be used. Thecross-section is then digitized by 180 radial measurements to give acircumferential representation of the pipeline, more or less radialmeasurements could be used by various embodiments. The cross-sectionaldata may be visually overlaid with the (known) original pipeline shape(or previously measured pipe shape, a comparison pipe shape obtainedfrom cross-reference data, or the like) and the variance data from thisreference is ascertained.

Illustrated in FIG. 2B, the diameter of the pipe cross-sections 220 bmay change from an initial condition due to the pipe experiencingsediment build up or corrosion of the pipe. No matter the source of thechange in pipe cross-sections 220 b, the sensed data will accuratelyrepresent the changes (e.g. down to 1 millimeter). In FIG. 2B, the leftview illustrates a pipe cross section 201 b for a point in the segmentof pipe (cross section point 201 b location indicated with arrow in theflat graph in the lower panel). This pipe cross section 201 b has notexperienced significant change, as represented by the cross-sectionalrepresentation and as reflected in the flat graph (lower panel). Incontrast, on the right of FIG. 2B the pipe cross section 205 b hasexperienced significant change in its cross-sectional shape, asrepresented by the graphical cross-sectional representation 205 b and asreflected in the flat graph (lower panel).

As illustrated in FIG. 2C, an embodiment may use the precisemeasurements of the condition of a pipe segment to provide machinevision, including 2D and 3D representations of the condition of a pipe.Each frame of inspection video may be analyzed to build a digitalprofile of the pipe. From this profile, a variety of displays may beprovided.

Thus, a particular pipe segment profile 200 c may be represented in 2D,as if the pipe segment had been cut lengthwise along the base of thepipe, then pulled apart and flattened, i.e. a flat graph 211 c.Anomalies in the pipe profile 200 c, for example measurements indicatingcorrosion 205 c, may be translated into the 2D flat graph 211 c, andcolor coded, such that the user is provided with a 2D representation ofthe anomaly 205 c. A measurement index (e.g. topographic scale codingmillimeters of wall thickness into colors matched to the flat graph 211c) may be included for quick reference and review of a segment of piperepresented by the flat graph 211 c. The 3D nature of the pipe profile200 c, including anomaly 205 c, thus may be represented by the flatgraph 211 c in topographic format, including upper and lower edges codedto show sediment build up (along the “cut” line in the illustratedexample).

As another example, FIG. 2D illustrates a view 212 d provided by anembodiment. A CCTV image 214 d may be synchronized with a pipe segmentcross section 220 d and 3D graphical representation 207 d. Adistribution view 208 d is provided in a lower left panel of the view212 d, as well as the corresponding flat graphs 211 d, 230 d for thepipe segment that the distribution view 208 d represents. Here, two flatgraphs 211 d, 230 d are shown. One flat graph 211 d is a color-codedflat graph (coded to illustrate corrosion levels) based on laser and/orsonar sensor data, and the other flat graph 230 d is CCTV data laid flat(in 2D).

Risks of cost over runs due to supplier underbidding the project forfailing to understand the extent of work to be performed is a commonproblem faced by infrastructure managers and cities. Repair andrehabilitation contracts may come in much higher than initially budgetedif the project summary is inaccurate. For example, a city might put outa bid for large diameter pipe cleaning without knowledge of how muchsediment is actually in the pipe, several bids maybe received based onassumed or typical sediment and debris levels. If such bids are acceptedby the city and proceed to execution, after completion of a portion ofthe work, the contractor might observe that the debris levels in thepipe are much higher than anticipated. As a result, the contractor maysubmit a change order for approval by the city indicating that the workcannot be completed per the original bid amount and additional fundswould be necessary to complete the project given the actual pipeconditions. This may severely setback the infrastructure manager andcity in terms of funding for the project and timeliness of completion.

Accordingly, an embodiment provides a method to avoid this situation byleveraging existing pipe condition assessment data to providequantitative summaries and reports as part of the bid package tocontractors. For instance, if a sonar or sonar and laser pipe conditionassessment data was completed by the manager recently, and all the datafrom this information was available in the database, a very specificsummary and report of the pipe conditions may be included in the bidpackage. Such an updated bid package may include an estimation of totalsediment volume (e.g. in cubic yards or truck loads) along with aprofile of distribution of the debris in the system (e.g. areas of highsediment and areas of low sediment). With this objective data, thesupplier would be able to perform the cleaning work within the allottedtime and contract amounts. This greatly reduces the probability of costoverruns and provides better planning and control of maintenance andrehabilitation projects by the city. In this regard, providing anaccurate project summary as part of a bid package is useful in ensuringexpectations are appropriately set prior to putting a job out to bid.

Referring to FIG. 3, an embodiment also may assist a manager inpreparing a project summary or determining if a project summary isaccurate and reliable prior to its inclusion with a bid package.According to an embodiment, a manager (or other user) may not have aproject summary in mind per se, but may know that something is to bedone (e.g. cleaning, repair, or other maintenance) to a particular pipe,portion of an infrastructure network, or entire network. Accordingly,and embodiment may provide a mechanism for gathering accurate summarydata regarding the condition of the pipe, portion of the infrastructurenetwork, or entire network such that the user may accurately summarizethe work to be done (e.g. for inclusion within a bid package).

On the other hand, a user may have an idea of the type of project (e.g.cleaning), but need more information about the extent or type of project(e.g. how much cleaning, what type of sediment, what type of pipematerial, pipe inclination, location, etc.). Given an initial projectsummary (including various parameters, such as particular pipesegment(s) to be cleaned), an embodiment may input the projectparameters into an analysis tool at 301. Because accurate, fact-basedsummaries of pipe conditions are available to the system, which mayinclude previously collected infrastructure data (e.g. via sensing datawith a data acquisition platform) and/or cross-reference data (e.g. froma similar pipe in another municipality's network), and/or other data,the system may access such summaries at 302 and compare the inputproject parameters/summary to existing infrastructure data at 303. Asdescribed herein, the initial project summary parameters may be assimple as a selection of a particular pipe segment, portion of aninfrastructure network, or the entire network. Thus, the system ischarged with providing a summary relating to this input parameter. Thus,more or fewer parameters may be included in an “initial” projectsummary.

Based on the comparison/matching at 303, an embodiment may prepare (orupdate) one or more of the input project parameters at 304. For example,the comparison/matching may be based on location data, GIS data, pipesegment/sensed data, human input data, institutional knowledge data,contextual data, and/or cross reference data. For example, an embodimentmay determine that although the initial project summary did not indicatea level of sediment in the pipe, the actual pipe condition (based on thesummary derived from pipe segment data) indicates that sedimentation ismoderate to high level, and thus more than “average” cleaning will berequired. An embodiment may provide an update to these types of projectparameters at 304 and provide an updated project summary at 305 to beincluded in the bid package.

Such an updated project summary may negate risks such as a risk of costover runs due to supplier underbidding the project to win bid andsubsequently trying to make up ground with change orders that increasescope and cost. In the cleaning example, without quantitative, objectivedata as part of the bid package a supplier could leverage the inherentunknowns in pipe condition and the ability to change order tointentionally underbid a project heavily up front. Such a scenario mayfrustrate efficient cleaning and keeping cost low. Utilizing anembodiment, this situation could be avoided by providing quantitativeassessments of the amount of cleaning work required based on measuredsediment levels, disallowing change orders once work has commenced.

Excessive cost mark up by a supplier to cover for execution risk insituations where change orders are not permitted may also be mitigatedby embodiments. In the cleaning example, without quantitative, objectivedata as part of the bid package, restricting change orders could have adetrimental result. Due to the inability to change order, all thebidders would tend to assume the worst-case pipe condition to limittheir exposure. This could result in highly inflated bids, and preventthe city from even embarking on the project. Thus, an embodiment mayprovide increased confidence in making a determination to allow ordisallow change orders give the data relating to existing pipeconditions. For example, this situation may be avoided by usingquantitative assessments of the amount of maintenance or rehabilitationwork required, ensuring that all bidders are pricing to those accuratelevels and are not being excessively conservative and inflating bids tocover for the risk.

Likewise, an embodiment also mitigates risks concerning the inability ofa supplier to complete job due to lack of comprehension of scope, whichmay result in re-bidding needs and cost escalation. In the cleaningexample, based on the amount of sediment in the pipes, differentcleaning technologies or systems may be required. For instance, the typeof sediment, the localization of sediment, etc., may impact if the pipecould be cleaned by flushing, jetting or would need a more positivematerial removal process like a bucket machine. An embodiment provides aquantitative, objective data-based assessment regarding the type andquantity of sediment, the distribution of sediment, the volume ofsediment, etc., based on the available pipe segment data. An embodimentthus allows such assessments to be included as part of the bid package.Because different bidders might propose different cleaning technologies,and the low bidder selected on the project might commence the work andfind out that their cleaning process is ineffective for the specificcondition without such information being included, this could result inthe project requiring a re-bid.

An embodiment thus permits this situation to be avoided by providingquantitative data as part of bid package. This shifts the burden fromthe asset manager to the bidders and puts the onus on the providers tobid with the most suitable technologies for the actual work involved.

An embodiment provides for automated evaluation of bids based on suchparameters. Referring to FIG. 4 for example, an embodiment may access aproject summary and a bid at 401 and 402, respectively, and extractparameters from each. An example parameter may be a particulartechnology for cleaning a sediment filled pipe, such as jetting. At 403,an embodiment may determine if the bid proposal parameter matches thecorresponding project summary parameter. If not, then the bid parametermay be flagged at 404. In either event, the process may iterate throughremaining parameters for comparison if it is determined that there areparameters remaining at 405. If no parameters are remaining forcomparison, an embodiment may determine if all or less than allparameters of the bid appropriately match those called for in thesummary at 406. If so, the bid may be considered a strong candidate foracceptance and the process may end 407.

However, if all parameters did not match, an embodiment may consider ifthe project is subject to splitting at 408. For example, the projectsummary may indicate that for particular pipe segments jetting is notrequired given the sediment condition of those pipes, and that analternative may be acceptable. Thus, even though a flagged parameterfrom the bid was discovered, an embodiment may consider if the flaggedparameter may be reconciled, e.g. through splitting the project. If so,an embodiment may compile the flagged parameters of the bid that matchalternatives if splitting the project were employed 409, and map thepipe segments or project portions having parameters that the bidparameters may be acceptable for at 410.

Such an approach may mitigate the risk of elimination of suppliers thatcould be good candidates to execute a specific job or portion thereof,but are disqualified due to inability to meet a small portion of theproject specification/summary. For example, a common problem with bidsissued by cities are that a large amount of work is bundled into asingle project which necessitates every bidder to have the capabilitiesto handle all of the specified work as the prime, and subcontract anywork that the prime cannot fulfill. In the cleaning example, the summarycould include cleaning of pipes from sizes 6″ through 120″. Generallydifferent technologies are used for different range of pipe sizes and itis rare for the same technology or cleaning process to be applicable tothis entire scope. So, if a bidder specializes in only cleaning largediameter pipe from 24″ and above, they would not be able to bid (or bidaccurately) on this project without partnering with another contractorthat can perform the remaining work. This kind of subcontracting resultsin the typical problem of margin stacking where the prime contractormarks up pricing from the subcontractor without adding any value and thecity incurs higher costs for the project.

Accordingly, an embodiment provides a mechanism to allow the bidders tosubmit bids that will be considered on parts of the infrastructureproject that they are equipped to handle. An embodiment thus allows thesystem to split the bids according to project summary parameters into amore focused area that allows specialty contractors to bid on theproject without incurring margin stack.

Risk of supplier capabilities and experience being inadequate resultingin poor execution may also be mitigated by an embodiment. A commonproblem with contract awards by cities to contractors is to have anindependent and common measure of the quality and cost effectiveness ofwork by different contractors. Cities typically specify stringentreference and past work history requirements as part of the bidsubmission, but there is no common framework for the city to evaluatethe past work history quality and cost effectiveness of work bydifferent contractors.

In an embodiment, activities of providers may be tracked acrossdifferent cities such that a comprehensive work history evaluation canbe built for each contractor and made available through the platform100. The measures or key performance indicators (KPI) may be tracked aspercentages of cost overruns for past projects, percent schedule slipfor past projects, number and type of failure-to-meet-quality issuesfrom past projects, a numerical rating (e.g. 1-5 or similar rating) ofoverall satisfaction from the city for a supplier's work, number ofyears and volume of experience with specific capabilities ortechnologies, or the like. These scores may be compared across biddersindividually and an overall suitability rating may be generated for eachbid based on their scores tracked in the data base.

Embodiments also mitigate the risk of wrong choice of rehabilitationmethod specified due to lack of sharing of best practices andfailure/success stories across asset owners. Rehabilitation, inspectionand other technologies are constantly evolving and often times bidspecifications lag behind the latest technological advances, or do notleverage past successes and failures for different rehab methodologies.By virtue of platform 100, asset managers will have access to relevantinfrastructure data in this regard, for example contextual data 102,cross reference data 103, and/or institutional knowledge data 104 thatmay be shared between users of the platform 100.

Embodiments also facilitate appropriate selection of methodologies basedon available pipe segment data, such as pipe slope and pipe bend/curvedata available to the platform 100. Different rehabilitation,maintenance and repair approaches have different key indicators forproject success. For instance, a chemical root treatment project isdependent on slope of pipes, since if there is inadequate slope in thepipe, the chemical cannot adequately be distributed in the system.Additionally, the slope determines the interval or distance betweenlocations where the chemical will be introduced into the system.Similarly, for a slip lining refurbishment, data on pipe bend angles andbend extents can be provided. An embodiment may thus include the datafor both of these two disparate reports (slope vs. bend radius), asderived from the same inherent multi-sensor-inspection based data sets.Based on the type of rehabilitation project being set up, e.g. sliplining or chemical root treatment, an embodiment may automaticallyrecognize the most relevant parameters or metrics for the infrastructureproject (in this example, bend radius or pipe slope). As such, these maybe taken into consideration and included in the summary of pipecondition, and be used to update a project summary accordingly forinclusion in a bid package.

Referring generally to FIG. 5, a common challenge for infrastructuremanagers is to determine the quality of rehabilitation work after theproject has been completed. This could be either for quality assurance,for acceptance or rejection of particular rehab work, or it could be forfuture reference use by the infrastructure manager to see how effectivethe technology or supplier was, etc.

An example of quality assurance use is that of laser profiling of newlyinstalled plastic pipe. Laser profiling is used to ensure that theovality of the pipe is less than a certain amount to confirm that thepipe was adequately back filled during installation. In this case, givena project summary calling for installation of plastic pipe, after thesupplier has installed the new pipe, a laser profiler based pipeassessment may be completed and stored.

An embodiment may access this updated pipe summary data at 501 and thebid proposal (or other relevant data indicating the expected result) at502 and determine if these match at a given threshold at 503 as acriterion for acceptance of the pipe work. If the results are out ofthreshold acceptability parameter(s), the parameter may be flagged by anembodiment at 504 indicating the problem. The city may then require thesupplier to re-install the pipe and perform another verificationinspection. An embodiment may likewise step through various parametersat 505 until all have been analyzed and the job assessment process endsat 506.

Another example of quality assurance that may be used is to performsonar profiling-based pipe assessment after a pipe has been cleaned toensure that the sedimentation that was required to be removed as part ofthe project was removed. Utilizing an embodiment, the results of all ofthese post construction verifications can be stored in the database andassociated to the technology, the provider, size of pipe segment, typeof pipe, etc. These results can then be queried using the platform 100for future projects to ensure the most appropriate technology and mostappropriate providers are engaged for the projects.

A consideration for infrastructure managers is to determine if aspecific project should be bid out for fulfillment by third partyproviders or if it should be completed in-house. These decisions aresimilar to make-versus-buy decisions faced by most entities. Using anembodiment, such decisions may be handled procedurally by treating thevarious options, including an in-house option, as one of the bids. Thenthe in-house option may be evaluated to all other bids and the mostcost-effective decision pursued. Consideration of fixed costs versusvariable costs for the in-house option may be important for suchevaluations and may be accounted for during the evaluation. For example,if the city has a cleaning truck, with labor availability, the variablecosts for it to pursue a cleaning project internally may be much lowerthan a third-party contract option, and this would be derived from suchanalysis.

A problem encountered by infrastructure managers in the smaller citiesis the inability to solicit bids from non-local large contractors due tothe smaller size of their project scope. For instance, a city may justneed 10,000 ft of pipe relined or cleaned. This might be too small avolume and not attract bids from larger regional contractors due totheir higher mobilization costs as compared the volume of work.

Referring to FIG. 6, an embodiment provides infrastructure managers withan option to pool their projects with other projects from other cities(e.g. geographically proximate, etc.) such that in totality the projectscope increases significantly. This is somewhat similar to the inverseof splitting a project. Such collaboration may entice larger regionalcontractors to bid on the projects. Accordingly, given a project summaryat 601 (including parameters such as pipe diameter, pipe cleaningtechnique, sediment amount, etc.), an embodiment may search data base(s)available at 602, e.g. via the platform 100, to determine if there areany similar or matching projects in other municipalities at 603. If so,an embodiment may provide an indication of the matches and suggest acollaboration or combining of projects at 604. Otherwise, the processmay end at 605.

Analogously, an embodiment may serve as an intermediary to pool togetherproject scopes from numerous smaller projects and negotiate preferredpricing from larger regional contractors that the smaller cities wouldnot be able to achieve with their smaller volumes.

Another problem encountered by suppliers that perform work for cities isensuring that they have adequate work to keep their assets utilized. Inan embodiment, suppliers may be provided visibility into demand fortheir services in a much broader area and much more comprehensively thanthey would otherwise be able to find, by virtue of access to theplatform 100 containing various project summaries, which may besearchable across parameters of interest to the suppliers. This alsoallows the suppliers to propose lower pricing for their services basedon their presence in a specific region or based on unused capacity. Suchexchange between suppliers and asset owners will foster a much moreoptimal match of supply and demand for these services.

Another problem encountered by infrastructure managers is a lack ofknowledge on the best available technologies for the particular projectscope. According to an embodiment, engineering firms and manufacturersof different equipment can specify for their technologies to bedescribed anytime their technology would be applicable via a matchingfunction between technology and specific project parameters of existingproject summaries, as facilitated by the platform 100. For example, whenan infrastructure manager specifies a relining project via uploading ofproject summary to platform 100, a best practices guide on reliningdeveloped by an engineering firm could be presented along withapplicable technologies from equipment providers by virtue of platform100 automatically matching it with the project summary and/or useraccount submitting the relining project summary. An embodiment may alsoserve as a central repository for all such information that is sharedwith different parties based on the capabilities required for differentprojects.

Additionally, an embodiment may facilitate decisions regarding use ofappropriate providers, including another asset owner rather than aprivate/third party supplier. For example, if City A issues a cleaningcontract for bid, a series of third-party contractors may bid on thisproject for a given price, but City B, also having access to theplatform 100, may have a cleaning truck and operator not being utilized.An embodiment may automatically recommend or facilitate communicationsuch that City B could offer services or bid on City A's project.

Accordingly, various embodiments facilitate managing infrastructureassets. The embodiments leverage infrastructure data and facilitatefact-based summaries of assets and infrastructure projects relatedthereto.

It will be readily understood that certain embodiments can beimplemented using any of a wide variety of devices or combinations ofdevices. Referring to FIG. 7, an example device that may be used inimplementing one or more embodiments includes a computing device(computer) 710, for example hosting the platform 100. In this regard,the platform 100 may be provided as a central portal for user access,wherein hosted services (data storage, data analysis, data summary andquerying, and the like) are provided. For example, platform may providea web-based access portal where a user may log in to an account instanceand access pipe network and related data to access the functionality ofthe platform 100 described herein. Alternatively, the platform 100 maybe provided as desktop or tablet application, for example that may bedownloaded onto a client device such as computer 710.

The computer 710 may execute program instructions configured to store ananalyze segment data, and perform other functionality of theembodiments, as described herein. Components of computer may include,but are not limited to, a processing unit 720, a system memory 730, anda system bus 722 that couples various system components including thesystem memory 730 to the processing unit 720. The computer 710 mayinclude or have access to a variety of computer readable media, forexample for storing infrastructure data indices. The system memory 730may include computer readable storage media in the form of volatileand/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM) and/or randomaccess memory (RAM). By way of example, and not limitation, systemmemory 730 may also include an operating system, application programs,other program modules, and program data.

A user can interface with (for example, enter commands and information)the computer 710 through input devices. A monitor or other type ofdevice can also be connected to the system bus 722 via an interface,such as an output interface 750. In addition to a monitor, computers mayalso include other peripheral output devices. The computer 710 mayoperate in a networked or distributed environment using logicalconnections to one or more other remote computers or databases. Thelogical connections may include a network, such local area network (LAN)or a wide area network (WAN), but may also include other networks/buses.

It should be noted as well that certain embodiments may be implementedas a system, method or computer program product. Accordingly, aspectsmay take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirelysoftware embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code,etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that mayall generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or“system.” Furthermore, aspects may take the form of a computer programproduct embodied in one or more computer readable medium(s) havingcomputer readable program code embodied therewith.

Any combination of one or more non-transitory computer readable storagemedium(s) may be utilized. A computer readable storage medium may be,for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, orsemiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combinationof the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer readablestorage medium would include the following: a portable computer disketteor memory stick, a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read-onlymemory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flashmemory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory(CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or anysuitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document,a computer readable storage medium may be any non-transitory storagemedium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connectionwith an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Computer program code may be propagated by data signal for transmissionbetween devices. Such a propagated signal may take any of a variety offorms, including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or anysuitable combination thereof. Program code embodied on a computerreadable storage medium thus may be transmitted using any appropriatemedium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fibercable, RF, et cetera, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for various aspectsmay be written in any combination of one or more programming languages.The program code may execute entirely on a single computer (device),partly on a single computer, as a stand-alone software package, partlyon single computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on aremote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computermay be connected to another computer through any type of network,including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), orthe connection may be made for example through the Internet using anInternet Service Provider.

It will be understood that various functionality described herein may beimplemented by computer program instructions. These computer programinstructions may be provided to a processor of a device to produce aspecial purpose machine, such that the instructions, which execute viathe processor create means for implementing the functions/actsspecified.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable storage medium that can direct a device to function in aparticular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computerreadable storage medium produce an article of manufacture includinginstructions which implement the function/act specified.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a device tocause a series of operational steps to be performed on the device toproduce a device implemented process such that the instructions whichexecute on the device provide processes for implementing thefunctions/acts specified.

This disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration anddescription but is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art. The example embodiments were chosen and described in orderto explain principles and practical application, and to enable others ofordinary skill in the art to understand the disclosure for variousembodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particularuse contemplated.

Although illustrated example embodiments have been described herein withreference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood thatembodiments are not limited to those precise example embodiments, andthat various other changes and modifications may be affected therein byone skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of thedisclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: scanning a segment of pipewith a pipe inspection robot that traverses through an interior of thesegment of pipe to generate pipe segment data; receiving, at anelectronic device, the pipe segment data comprising closed-circuittelevision (CCTV) image data derived from the pipe inspection robot;transforming the CCTV image data into a two-dimensional (2D) flat graphusing a three-dimensional (3D) profile of the segment of pipe, wherebythe CCTV image data obtained by the pipe inspection robot is laid flatfor a length of the segment of pipe; storing, in an electronic device,the pipe segment data; after receiving a request, transmitting the CCTVimage data and the flat graph to a display for display in two or morepanels and synchronized with a physical location within the segment ofpipe; receiving user input related to a displayed part of the flatgraph; and responsive to the user input, updating a display of the CCTVimage data in a panel of the two or more panels to be synchronized withthe part of the flat graph indicated by the user input.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting infrastructuresummary data from another network related to the segment of pipe.
 3. Themethod of claim 2, wherein the infrastructure summary data comprises anindication of a condition of the segment of pipe and an indication of atechnology to be used to address the condition.
 4. The method of claim1, wherein the request from the client device comprises a request from aremote client device to log in to a web-based access portal.
 5. Themethod of claim 2, wherein the pipe segment data and the infrastructuresummary data are stored in association with one another in an accountinstance of a user associated with the remote client device.
 6. Asystem, comprising: a mobile pipe inspection robot that traversesthrough an interior of a segment of pipe in a network and obtains pipescan data comprising one or more of closed-circuit television (CCTV)image data, laser pipe scan data and sonar pipe scan data; and anelectronic device that stores the pipe scan data; one or more of themobile pipe inspection robot and the electronic device acting totransform one or more of the CCTV image data, laser pipe scan data andsonar pipe scan data into one or more two-dimensional (2D) flat graphsusing a three-dimensional (3D) profile of the segment of pipe, wherebythe CCTV image data obtained by the mobile pipe inspection robot is laidflat for a length of the segment of pipe; the electronic device storinginfrastructure summary data comprising one or more of a level ofcorrosion and a level of sediment buildup determined based on the pipescan data; the electronic device generating a summary report based onthe pipe scan data; the electronic device, after receiving a request todisplay the pipe scan data, transmitting the pipe scan data to adisplay; the pipe scan data transmitted to the display including atleast the CCTV image data and a corresponding flat graph formed from theCCTV image data for display in two or more panels; receiving user inputrelated to a displayed part of the flat graph; and responsive to theuser input, updating a display of the CCTV image data in a panel of thetwo or more panels to be synchronized with the part of the flat graphindicated by the user input.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein theelectronic device is a server that transmits display data comprising theCCTV image data and the corresponding flat graph synchronized with aphysical location within the segment of pipe.
 8. The system of claim 7,wherein the infrastructure summary data comprises an indication of acondition of the segment of pipe and an indication of a technology to beused to address the condition.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein, inresponse to input of a bid for proposed work, a processor of the servercompares at least one parameter of the bid for proposed work to theindication of a technology to be used to address the condition; andafter determining that the at least one parameter of the bid forproposed work does not match the indication of technology to be used toaddress the condition, the processor flags the at least one parameter ofthe bid for proposed work.
 10. The system of claim 7, wherein therequest comprises a request from a remote client device to log in to aweb-based access portal provided by the server.
 11. The system of claim10, wherein the server stores the pipe segment data and theinfrastructure summary data in association with one another in anaccount instance of a user associated with the remote client device. 12.A system, comprising: a pipe inspection robot that traverses through aninterior of a segment of pipe in a network and obtains pipe scan datacomprising one or more of closed-circuit television (CCTV) image data,laser pipe scan data and sonar pipe scan data; and an electronic devicethat stores the pipe scan data; one or more of the mobile pipeinspection robot and the electronic device acting to transform one ormore of the CCTV image data, laser pipe scan data and sonar pipe scandata into one or more two-dimensional (2D) flat graphs using athree-dimensional (3D) profile of the segment of pipe, whereby the pipescan data obtained by the pipe inspection robot is laid flat for alength of the segment of pipe; the electronic device, after receiving arequest to display the pipe scan data, transmitting the pipe scan datato a display; the pipe scan data transmitted to the display includingone or more of the CCTV image data, the laser pipe scan data, and thesonar pipe scan data with a flat graph for display in two or morepanels; receiving user input related to a displayed part of the flatgraph; and responsive to the user input, updating a display of the CCTVimage data, the laser pipe scan data, or the sonar pipe scan data in apanel of the two or more panels to be synchronized with the part of theflat graph indicated by the user input.